Bose SoundTouch and Pandora. A Simple guide now that it has become unavailable in AUS/NZ

Yes, the Pandora music streaming service has closed up shop here in Australia and New Zealand, which for many Bose users can mean the end of their favourite way to listen to music. Are there any viable alternatives when it comes to Bose SoundTouch and Pandora? There are a few options that we will run through with you now to make sure you keep enjoying the music you love.

Pandora’s Box. How did it all happen?

Well, the details are scarce at this stage, but it appears that the market for music streaming within Australia has been dominated by Spotify, Deezer and others. Although Pandora still exists internationally and with an estimated audience of 80 million users, there just weren’t enough premium (paying) users here in the South Pacific to keep the company viable.

The Alternatives. Spotify and Deezer.

The Bose SoundTouch app supports a few other streaming services, namely Spotify and Deezer. Essentially they are very similar, both offering their version of the Pandora Radio. Choose by artist, album, song or even mood or genre. The differences start when you look to play an album in full, want to see recommended or similar artists, or get curated playlists based on your recent listening habits. Consider that Spotify also includes audiobooks and podcasts, all of this adds up to a much richer listening experience*.

*Note, you will need to subscribe to a Spotify Premium account to access the Spotify music library in the SoundTouch App.

How do you add these to your SoundTouch app?

Well, it’s pretty easy really and can all be done directly in the app. Bose have been kind enough to release some easy to follow videos below. They can be summarised by the following steps:

Open SoundTouch App

Go to menu (≡)

Add Service

Select Service (Spotify, Deezer etc)

If you have a Spotify or Deezer account already, enter your account details.

If you don’t have an existing account, select ‘Create Account’

Follow the on screen prompts to finish creating or adding your account.

Bonus – Other ways to play your music!

Ok, there are some other options. Do you have music on your phone, Apple music or perhaps have the free version of Spotify and don’t want to upgrade? Right now, you can Bluetooth your music directly to your Bose SoundTouch speaker, but it is limited by range and you’re unable to have that same music playing on multiple speakers. Coming soon, Apple Airplay 2 promises to change that. With AirPlay 2 enabled on the SoundTouch Speakers (the due date and availability of that is yet to be confirmed) will allow you to broadcast your music from the music app of choice to any and every speaker that is AirPlay 2 enabled. Simply put: this looks like a way to play music outside of your SoundTouch app and still enjoy the ability to steam to multiple locations on any of your speakers. Stay tuned for more on that as it comes out.

So, it’s time for Bose SoundTouch and Pandora to part ways. Thanks for reading, we hope this helps to make the whole situation a little more clear. If there are any questions or concerns you have about this change, send us a enquiry, comment or give us call any time.